CONFLICT OF INTEREST POLICY

Conflict of Interest Policy

Jurnal Ulumul Qur'an: Jurnal Kajian Ilmu Al-Qur'an dan Tafsir STIU Darul Qur'an

1. Purpose and Definition

Jurnal Ulumul Qur'an: Jurnal Kajian Ilmu Al-Qur'an dan Tafsir requires all parties involved in the publication process—authors, reviewers, and editors—to declare any potential conflicts of interest. A conflict of interest exists when professional judgment concerning the validity of research or the objective evaluation of a manuscript may be influenced by secondary interests, such as financial gain, personal relationships, academic competition, or institutional loyalty.

Transparency regarding such conflicts is essential to maintaining the integrity, objectivity, and public trust in the peer-review and publication process.

2. Policy for Authors

Authors must explicitly disclose any financial or non-financial conflicts of interest that could be perceived to influence the research, interpretation of data, or writing of the manuscript.

  • Financial conflicts may include research grants, funding, employment, or honoraria related to the subject of the manuscript.

  • Non-financial conflicts may include personal or professional relationships, institutional affiliations, or strongly held ideological/religious beliefs that could introduce bias.

Authors are required to include a "Conflict of Interest" statement in the Back Matter section of their manuscript before the References. If no conflict exists, the author must explicitly state: "The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this manuscript."

3. Policy for Reviewers

Peer reviewers are essential to maintaining the scholarly rigor of the journal. Reviewers must evaluate manuscripts objectively and fairly. A reviewer must immediately decline the invitation to review a manuscript and notify the editorial office if they have a conflict of interest, which includes, but is not limited to:

  • Working at the same institution as any of the authors.

  • Having co-authored a publication or collaborated on a research project with the authors within the last three years.

  • Having a close personal relationship, mentorship, or direct academic rivalry with the authors.

  • Having a financial interest related to the manuscript’s topic.

Reviewers must not use any unpublished information obtained during the peer-review process for their own personal or professional advantage.

4. Policy for Editors and Editorial Board Members

Editors and Editorial Board members must ensure that all editorial decisions are made independently, objectively, and free from external influence.

  • Editors must recuse themselves from handling any manuscript in which they have a conflict of interest (e.g., manuscripts submitted by close colleagues, recent co-authors, family members, or researchers from their own institution).

  • In cases where the Editor-in-Chief or a Handling Editor submits a manuscript to the journal, the peer-review and decision-making process will be entirely delegated to another independent editor or a designated senior editorial board member to ensure a blind and unbiased review. The submitting editor will have no access to the review process of their own manuscript within the Open Journal System (OJS).

5. Handling Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest

If a conflict of interest is suspected or discovered after a manuscript has been submitted or published, the journal will follow the guidelines established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). The editorial board will investigate the matter and may take appropriate actions, which can range from requesting a formal disclosure, publishing a correction or expression of concern, to retracting the article if the undisclosed conflict significantly compromises the research's integrity.

Questions or clarifications regarding potential conflicts of interest should be directed to the editorial office at [email protected].